Racoons not scared of light

I've noticed for a while that my backyard has been dug up recently and the bulbs of various plants eaten. Just other night, i caught two racoons playing in my backyard. I took out my EA8, and beamed it right on them. They froze, but after a 10 seconds, they continued to frolic as if nothing happened. I thought bright lights and strobe would freak them out and send them bolting from my yard. Not the case! I live in an urban area, not the woods.

Anyone out there have encountered racoons that could care less if they're strobed or blinded? Is this normal?

yes it is normal. they are smart animals, they see there is noting bad comes from your light, so they continue on.
especially racoons that live near citys, i doubt you can scare them at all. unless you shoot them, may be this way survivors will learn, light is followed by a bullet., or an arrow. but don't be surprised if they attack you, city racoons used to ppl running away from them, not the other way around. they also carriers of rabbies. be carefull around them.

Usually they are not scared of light or laser, I have to manually scatter them throwing something or using a blunt stick. To date only one snarled and approached. That one I dispatched with a .22lr when I couldn't retreat, figuring I could claim rabies. No one showed up to cite me even though I can hear the gunshot echo and it was close to midnight. But since then I've relied on .22 short only and only if they don't scatter by other methods. That curmudgeon was buried by morning, I stroked its fur and said I'm sorry. It was my first "kill" and honestly I felt really bad about it.

Fun thing to note, have your neighbors dog or your dog sleep on a rug for a couple weeks, then lay that rug under the feeders or where raccoons usually congregate. I find that the feeders will remain untouched for a couple nights, but after a heavy dew night all bets are off.

Note to self, buy a paintball gun

After they didn't leave from shining the light on them, i did grab a stick and come towards them. Eventually, they both scattered, but one couldn't make it over the fence and turned around and snarled at me. It sounded just like a dog!!! I thought it was going to attack me, but when the fight or flight response came, it choose to book it and man was it fast. I have some bb guns, but plastic bbs won't do anything probably. Paintball gun sounds interesting! I don't want to kill it, just get it out of my yard. Paintballs won't kill do they?

InquisitiveInquirer said:

After they didn't leave from shining the light on them, i did grab a stick and come towards them. Eventually, they both scattered, but one couldn't make it over the fence and turned around and snarled at me. It sounded just like a dog!!! I thought it was going to attack me, but when the fight or flight response came, it choose to book it and man was it fast. I have some bb guns, but plastic bbs won't do anything probably. Paintball gun sounds interesting! I don't want to kill it, just get it out of my yard. Paintballs won't kill do they?

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In the chest? Most likely not.
In the head? Very possible.

I used to feed the little bandits at our old house. We had a deal. I give them cheap dry dog food, and they would stay out of the garbage cans. It got so I could go outside and call them. Down the trees and through the weeds they would come. Many times there would be 6-8 of them milling around me while I poured out some kibble. Some would even reach up and take bread out of my hand with their nimble "fingers". I know it wasn't the smartest thing to do, but it was fun.

Geoff

I don't think there's much to scare those things.
I live in an urban environment, and my dog (terrier) is smaller than a lot of the 'coons in our neighborhood.

When they'd pop up out of the gutter, I'll stomp loudly near them (to keep 'em from attacking my dog), and they'll usually amble back down.
Had a few in the backyard over the years. Shining a light at them, they just look back at me.
A particularly large one was in my cherry tree. I shined it in the eyes with a terralux-LED-modded 3D m*g - nothing.
Poked it in the chest with a 10-ft fruit picker. It stood up and hissed it me.
I went back inside, lest it get the idea to take revenge...
Dog only eats indoors now.

They are so not scared that i've had three of them that litterally stepped on my feet while they were going down a stair, which was rather cheeky.

Another time while i was eating a lunch on an isolated park bench in the evening one tried to climb on the bench, i tried to shoo him away, growled at him, which didn't seem to deter him much. I had to change place, then returned to the bench a little while later. He made a very wide detour around to come back right behind me... They are Very persistent (and cute), but sometimes i don't want to have them all over my sandwich or if an animal is sick of not so i am less patient.

Cutest group i saw were in a garbage can. First one BIG raccoon came out, then another one, then another, then a 4th one ! Mother and 3 babies

I once played a joke to a raccoon because i knew which dumpster he frequented (a big metal dumpter, the kind special trucks pick-up to empty them). When I heard him inside, i sneaked close by, then i suddenly kicked the dumpster hard, and i waited. You should have heard the frantic screeching of claws as he climbed out of there. When he reached the top, he shot a look at me that sounded like: what the heck did you do that for ? Ha ! Ha ! Ha ! My wife is jealous of me because i always seem to meet them but she never have seen one up close until now.

I'm glad no one called the police last night! To my neighbours, i must have seemed like a burglar or something. I was pretty much wearing all black with black mechanix gloves on walking around with a bright flashlight in one hand and carry a wooden stick in the other while in my backyard and around my house's perimeter. After the pests finally left, i looked to my neighbours' windows and i noticed a silhouette of a person in one window...

I could really care less about these pests, but with the safety of my family in mind, i gotta do something. I feel relatively confident i could boot it into the stratosphere or out run it, but if my other family members were to come across it at night while taking the garbage out or coming in from the garage, i'd be concerned for them.

Please remember this cute little guy ~

can turn into this guy,

real quick when threatened.

Perhaps some beer with his food ~

~ Chance

Arm and Leg said:

In the chest? Most likely not.
In the head? Very possible.

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doubt it too, those are tough animals, it may knock them out, but kill, idk, but it sure will teach them a lesson, not to come there next time, and if the light shines, run.

The raccoons around here don't care about light at night; they're used to it. A .22LR is the typical response, although the police will always pay you a visit.

+1 on the paintball gun. Using a Tippmann 98, I can get headshots easily past the length of my backyard. Unless you're close (7 yards or less) a body shot won't injure them unless they're young, but it will cause enough pain to make them leave. At 30 yards, body shots require 3-4 hits, assuming this is a typical 15-pound raccoon. Headshots can be fatal out to about 10 yards for adults. Opossums have similar results. Groundhogs can be a bit more hard-bodied. I've had way too much fun shooting varmints with paintball guns...

ASSUMING the dog doesn't find them first.

Flying Turtle said:

I used to feed the little bandits at our old house. We had a deal. I give them cheap dry dog food, and they would stay out of the garbage cans. It got so I could go outside and call them. Down the trees and through the weeds they would come. Many times there would be 6-8 of them milling around me while I poured out some kibble. Some would even reach up and take bread out of my hand with their nimble "fingers". I know it wasn't the smartest thing to do, but it was fun.

Geoff

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Not to single you out, this is exactly the behaviour that exacerbates the problem. A short term fix with long term consequences, for people who do this and their neighbours.
There is no "deal", it provides a level of comfort for them that should be avoided at all costs and a big part of the reason many urban coons don't scatter when their paths cross with people. I've heard countless stories from homeowners about how they or a neighbour used to feed raccoons and now they've torn the siding off my house, living within my walls, in my attic, defecating on my deck etc...
Am I an expert? Not by any stretch, but my neighbours and I have been engaged in a protracted battle with this scourge for many years.....Victor to be determined! My advice to anyone who encounters "visits" to their property, make it a very unpleasant place to be!! Also, check your local laws regarding nuisance animals, where I live these creatures have more rights than I!

P.S.
If your lawn is being torn up, it's possible they are after grubs, google "nematodes".

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